Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
This invention relates to a structural protective device and more specifically to a protective cover for a door threshold for use during construction or modification of a building or its contents.
Door thresholds include the portion of door frames that lies below a closed or sliding door and which often provides a sealing surface for the door. Damage to the threshold adversely affects the door seal, operability of sliding doors as well as aesthetics. Thresholds are installed for both hinged doors and sliding doors. During construction of a building, the doorways, doors and thresholds are installed relatively early in the construction process to protect the interior from the elements and prevent unauthorized access, theft and vandalism. However, during the construction process, there is a large amount of through traffic that flows across the door thresholds.
The through traffic inadvertently transports contaminants, such as dirt and abrasives adhered to worker shoes and construction equipment which eventually becomes lodged in the thresholds. Many of the thresholds are expensive and include finished surfaces applied during manufacturing (e.g., extruded finishes) which are difficult to repair if damaged.
Doorway manufacturers and installers are continually called in to repair the damage to thresholds caused during construction. New homeowners frequently complain of damage during move-in walkthrough inspections. Similarly if modifications to a building or its contents are made or heavy articles are to be rolled over the threshold during moving, the threshold will require protection from the through traffic.
In the relevant art, there are a number of inventions which attempt to protect the door thresholds. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,591 to Kelly discloses a threshold protective cover which includes removable sections for installation over varying threshold widths. In another invention to the same inventor, U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,395 discloses a one piece cover which is temporarily attached to the door threshold. Both of the Kelly patents teach an adhesive to maintain the cover in position over the threshold which requires time-consuming adhesive removal, adds height to the threshold making door closure difficult or impossible and inherently attaches grit due to the adhesive properties. Neither of the disclosed covers are readily adaptable to a sliding door track as their profile is specific to a hinged door threshold and are thus prone to displacement from their protective position. Lastly, neither of the Kelly inventions are likely to be repositioned over the door threshold if removed nor do they provide any affirmative reminder to be repositioned over the door threshold once removed.
What is needed is a protective cover that can be used over both hinged and sliding door thresholds, requires no modification to allow door closure, does not leave an adhesive residue on the surface to be protected, is easily situated into a protective position whenever the doorway is in use, allows door closure, is unlikely to be removed and provides an affirmative reminder to be repositioned over the door threshold.
Objects and Advantages
One object of this invention is to provide a device to protect a threshold of a door.
A second object of this invention is to provide a device that protects the door threshold while permitting closure of the door.
A third object of this invention is to provide a device that protects the threshold of a door which is not easily misplaced or removed.
A fourth object of this invention is to provide a device that provides an affirmative reminder to use the threshold protector.
A fifth object of this invention is to provide a device that is adaptable to protect a wide variety of threshold configurations.
A sixth object of this invention is to provide a device that protects a door threshold that is economical to manufacture, easy to install and use.
The present invention comprises a threshold protective cover which includes a hinge. The hinge allows the protective cover to be pivotally positioned over either a hinged or sliding door threshold to protect the underlying threshold during times of through traffic and repositioned away from the threshold when the door is to be closed. The threshold protective cover may be used during construction or modification of a building or its contents to protect the threshold from damage due to through traffic. The protective cover may also be used to protect door thresholds when heavy articles are rolled over the threshold, for example when furniture or other heavy objects are rolled out of the doorway on a dolly or hand truck.
In one embodiment of the invention, intended for outward swinging hinged doors and sliding doors, the protective cover is attached to a surface adjacent to a door threshold using screws, nails or adhesive tape and includes a hinge joined at or near a rear edge of the protective cover to allow pivoting of the protective cover along a lateral axis substantially parallel to the installed threshold. The hinge includes a fixed anchoring portion and a pivotal portion joined to the protective cover at the rear. The hinge allows pivoting rearward of the protective cover away from the threshold to permit closing of the door while the protective cover remains attached to the floor. This allows the protective cover to remain in place, ready to be repositioned over the door threshold when the door is reopened. When pivoted away (rearward) from the threshold (i.e., non-protecting position,) the protective cover protrudes upward, being substantially perpendicular to the threshold which provides an affirmative reminder to reposition the cover over the threshold.
The protective cover is comprised of a downward sloping top surface extending from a top end of a substantially vertical section to a front edge. The front edge includes a decurvate (downward facing) edge. The vertical section provides sufficient height to allow a guard portion (top and underside surfaces) to clear the highest vertical edge of an underlying threshold when in a protecting position. If necessary, a wooden shim or spacer may be installed beneath the fixed anchoring portion to adjust the vertical height of the protective cover.
A horizontal rear edge constructed of rigid polymeric materials extends rearward from a bottom end of the vertical section and is attached to an integral hinge. The integral hinge may be constructed from a flexible polymeric material or a rigid polymeric material when configured as a standard mechanical hinge. The fixed anchoring portion of the rigid polymeric material is attached to an opposite side of the integral hinge in parallel to the horizontal rear edge and allows rotation of the protective cover along a lateral axis.
The underside surface, vertical section and front edge defines an inverted channel which substantially encompasses the door threshold when situated in a protecting position and approximates the profile of the underlying threshold without substantial attachment thereto. A width of the threshold protector may be manufactured in varying sizes to allow protection of a wide variety of threshold arrangements or trimmed to fit a particular doorway.
In another embodiment of the invention, intended for inward swinging hinged doors, the protective cover is attached to an exterior surface of a building generally below and perpendicular to the threshold using screws, nails or adhesive tape, and if necessary, a wooden shim or spacer. The hinge is joined to the protective cover at or near a front edge to allow forward pivoting of the protective cover along a lateral axis substantially parallel to the installed threshold. The hinge includes a fixed anchoring portion and a pivotal portion joined at or near a front edge of the protective cover. The hinge allows pivoting of the protective cover away (forward) from the threshold (i.e., non-protecting position) to permit closing of the door while the protective cover remains attached to the exterior of the building. This allows the protective cover to remain in place, ready to be repositioned over the door threshold when the door is reopened.
When pivoted away (forward) from the threshold (i.e., non-protecting position) the protective cover protrudes upward, being substantially perpendicular to the threshold which provides an affirmative reminder to reposition the cover over the threshold.
The protective cover is comprised of a downward sloping top surface extending from a top end of a substantially vertical section to a front edge. The front edge includes a decurvate (downward facing) edge. The vertical section provides sufficient height to allow a guard portion (top and underside surfaces) to encompass a substantial portion of the underlying threshold when in a protecting position.
A substantially vertical attachment edge adjacent to the front edge of the guard extends downward from the underside surface. This vertical attachment edge is attached to the integral hinge. The integral hinge may be constructed from a flexible polymeric material or a rigid polymeric material when configured as a standard mechanical hinge. The fixed anchoring portion of the rigid polymeric material is attached to an opposite side of the integral hinge in parallel to the vertical attachment edge.
The underside surface, vertical section and vertical attachment edge defines an inverted channel which substantially encompasses the door threshold when situated in a protecting position and approximates the profile of the underlying threshold without substantial attachment thereto. A width of the threshold protector may be manufactured in varying sizes to allow protection of a wide variety of threshold arrangements or trimmed to fit a particular doorway.